


Lina

by postmortem



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Death, F/F, Heartbreak, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:45:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7905283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/postmortem/pseuds/postmortem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning: If you are triggered by deaths of small humans, maybe you should not read this to keep yourself safe.</p><p>I'm getting back into writing, and I know I have others to finish, but this somehow needed to be put out there in order for me to forget about it.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Lina

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: If you are triggered by deaths of small humans, maybe you should not read this to keep yourself safe.
> 
> I'm getting back into writing, and I know I have others to finish, but this somehow needed to be put out there in order for me to forget about it.

Emma Swan was curled up on her bed, her baby in her arms, wrapped up in her very own old baby blanket. She lovingly stroked the little girl’s impossibly soft hair, chuckling at the thought that she sure as hell didn’t get that from her father. Nothing about Hook was soft, he was prickly, and now he was gone. Vanished into thin air, who knew. A missing person who nobody really missed at all. Least of all Emma.

She traced the barely there eyebrows on her daughter’s forehead, ran her finger gently down a plump cheek. She smiled, remembering the first time Lina had grabbed her thumb and didn’t want to let go. She lowered her head, and kissed the soft skin of her face. She began to hum a song that sounded suspiciously like My Heart Will Go On. A muffled sob reached her ears from another room. Emma turned quiet, clutching her baby closer to her chest.

Outside her door, in the livingroom, her family was gathered.

“It’s been 23 hours”, her mother whispered, tears in her eyes.

“You can’t put a time on grief.” Granny Lucas put an arm around Snow White’s shoulders.

“There has to be something I can do. It’s not fair!” Her father’s fist hit the table.

“David…”, her mother winced. He sighed in despair, said “sorry”, and threw his hands in front of his face.

The Wicked Witch was sitting on a sofa, her own daughter on her knees, her nephew beside her. “How are you holding up, sweetness?” Henry cringed. He was too old for pet names from his aunt. But he lowered his head onto Zelena’s shoulder, and since motherly feelings didn’t scare her anymore, Zelena kissed his hair. He was not too old for that. “Where is mom? What’s taking her so long?”

Nobody had an answer.

“She can’t soom Henwy, she’s not in magicland. She’s flying, but not on auntie Zelena’s bwoom, on a reaw plane! I want to fly on a reaw plane.”

Amused but sad sighs echoed through the room. Ruby Lucas patted Roland’s head. “You got it, champ.”

It seemed like they had been in this room for an eternity.

After hours of Emma not showing any sign of being ready to give Lina to Blue, nobody had questioned why Snow had called Regina. And nobody was surprised that Regina dropped everything in New York to come back home. They all knew. Everybody knew. Roland had told his little sister that “Emma needs a big hug fwom Retsina”. Not that Emma was the hugging type. Nor Regina. But Zelena and Snow White had exchanged a knowing look.

Silence once more reigned over the little group of people who cared about Emma the most. The only sound that could be heard were little Robin’s babbles as she pulled on her mother’s hair. The witch just absentmindedly stroked the girl’s back.

The Blue Fairy sat on a chair, staring out the window. She hated being that person. She hated death. She hated knowing that nobody in the room wanted her there. It was her job to bring the deceased back to the convent safely. But this was harder than usual. So much harder.

Ruby Lucas kept pacing past the bedroom door, trying to make sure they didn’t miss it should Emma need anything, until her grandmother motioned to her to sit down. Which she did, as Granny took over for her, and Ruby rolled her eyes.

Roland and Neal were in the process of falling asleep in an armchair, cuddled up, looking like little angels. Neal was oblivious, he just picked up on the emotions around him, but Roland knew death, and he was exhausted.

Henry was looking at the door, willing it to open and his mother to walk in. She would know the right words. She always did. How slow was this plane she was on?

David nipped on a glass of whiskey, frowned, and pushed it away. His daughter, his little girl had sent them all away, and not being able to help her nearly killed him. She hadn’t wanted any of them to stay with her. Not even her father.

Snow sat with her back against the wall, watching with fascination as a fly made it’s way across the carpet. Why aren’t you flying? Time had slowed down, and she wondered if the clock tower had stopped again. The thought grew bigger in her head, until it was all she could think about, until she felt like she was going crazy. She let out a nervous laugh.

Six heads turned to her, and she let her head fall to her knees.

Then finally, FINALLY, the front door opened, and Regina walked in. She stalled for just a fraction of a second, then peeled off her gloves, and tossed them on the dining table. Henry jumped up, and threw himself into his mother’s arms. Surely, in this situation, nobody would think he was too old for that. Regina wrapped her arms around her son and held him. “Go to Emma”, Henry whispered, and let go. “What makes you think she wants me there if she banned all of you?” Henry looked at his grandmother for help. All Snow could say was “just try, please Regina”.

The mayor nodded. She walked past her sister, who gently grabbed her hand for an instant and squeezed it. She made her way toward the bedroom, and Ruby gave her an encouraging smile. David reached for his drink again, just to have something to occupy his hands with.

Granny Lucas put her hand on Regina’s shoulder when she reached the door. For a second, Regina didn’t remember that people actually liked her now, and she flinched. Then she patted the older woman’s hand gratefully, and opened the door.

Emma was lying with her back towards her, so she slowly walked around the bed. The blonde pulled her baby closer, and rolled up into a ball, panic clearly visible on her face.

“Don’t be scared, I won’t take her, I promise.”

Emma relaxed just a little, cautiously. Regina’s heart nearly tore apart. The little girl was pale as, well, death, and she looked like a doll. Her lips were crunched into a perfect little smile, and her eyelashes spread over her cheeks long and full. Regina took a deep breath, as quietly as she could, and willed her eyes back up to Emma’s face.

“The longer they are all waiting for me, the more I never want to let go, and the more I’m scared that I have to. I’m… I’m sorry.”

“You’re not doing anything wrong, Emma. This is your time with her. No matter how much of it you need.”

Emma closed her eyes. “Weren’t you in New York?”

Regina sat down on the edge of the bed. “I was.”

Emma nodded.

Regina’s eyes fell on Emma’s trembling fingers as they massaged Lina’s little ones. She gently put her own hand on Emma’s, and said “may I touch her?” “Yes”, Emma whispered. The mayor took the baby’s other hand, and started to rub soft circles into her palm. She pulled her legs up onto the bed, and laid down next to mother and daughter. Emma audibly exhaled, and her head fell into the pillow that was propped against the headboard.

“Do you remember the night she was born? Without your magic, neither of us would have survived. And then the first thing she did was pee on you. Like a real Charming.”

Regina smiled. “I remember every moment of it.”

Then, silence. Regina put her head on the pillow next to Emma’s, and they touched Lina’s little body as if their warmth could make her come back to life.

When their hands met on the baby’s tummy, Emma let her fingers graze Regina’s for a moment. The brunette raised her head, and with her mouth almost touching Emma’s temple, she whispered “I’m so sorry. I don’t have the right words, but I’m here for you. Always.”

Emma didn’t respond, she just moved her head a little closer to Regina’s, and the mayor breathed a feathery kiss against her skin, nearly not touching, but Emma felt it.

“Do you know why I named her Lina?”

Regina looked up. “No, but it’s a beautiful name.”

“Yes. It’s a combination of the names of the first person I ever fell in love with, and the last person I will ever be in love with.”

“Lilly, and… oh…”

Emma smiled, and Regina’s heart beat inappropriately faster. Then she chuckled. “Mine would be Mama. It’s a good thing Lina has you as her mother.”

Emma’s laugh was a quiet sob, and Regina felt horrible for a moment, but then Emma buried her nose in the brunette’s hair.

Their version of the three little words couldn’t be more typical if they tried.

They fell silent again, both of them in their own thoughts and grief. No matter how much they tried to change it, Lina’s lungs didn’t start breathing, and her heart didn’t start pumping. 

“Regina”, Emma whispered after a while. “Could you tell Blue that I’m ready?”

Regina nodded, and slowly got out of the bed. She felt a little unsteady, overcome with feelings as she opened the door. Zelena and Henry were sleeping on the sofa. Baby Robin was still playing with her mother’s hair. Granny and Ruby were sitting at the diner table, heads buried in their arms. And David was now on the floor with his wife’s head in his lap, snoring.

Only the Blue Fairy seemed to be awake. She looked up expectantly, and Regina nodded. Back in the bedroom, Emma had sat up, holding Lina as if she was burping her. When Regina approached, she kissed her little face, and said “go with Blue now, I’ll see you tomorrow baby”. She then held out her dead child to the mayor, who carefully picked her up, and walked to the door, where she handed her to the fairy. “Be careful.”

“I will take good care of her, Emma. I’m so sorry.” With that, Blue left.

Regina turned around. Emma was pale as chalk, and tears were streaming down her face. Regina hurried back, and wrapped her arms around the sheriff. The blonde held on for dear life, struggling to speak, or breathe.

“Please don’t leave.”

“Never.”

And Regina held Emma as her heart finally broke.


End file.
